Thank you. I have just two minutes, so I will keep it brief.
These amendments are critical, and I am asking the government to consider and support them. In Quebec, our system works, it produces good results. I don't understand why the province is being asked to fix something that isn't broken. It would be like turning back the clock 10, 20, 30 years. It makes absolutely no sense. These amendments will save Quebec and allow the province to maintain its course. Naturally, there will still be considerable costs attached, and Quebec will refuse to pay them—that is for sure. However, the amendments will, at least, make the bill not quite as bad for them.
I am asking you, begging you even, to support these amendments, especially the one that says “favorisant la réadaptation et la réinsertion sociale des adolescents ayant commis des infractions”. I feel compelled to stress the importance of the wording “favorisant la réadaptation”. The merits of that concept have been proven by numerous experts, something the minister—who came not once, but twice—mentioned repeatedly. That is how we will make our streets and communities safe. I am well aware that you may not vote in favour of these amendments, and that makes me wonder whether you truly want to make our streets safe. We have a system in Quebec that works, that does what it should, and you are telling us to turn back the clock by 20 or 30 years if you vote against these amendments.
Once again, I am asking you to stand behind long-term protection. “Long-term protection” is a two-word concept that will help make our streets and communities safe. We are looking down the road. These young people who are coming out probably had difficult childhoods—no doubt, they had problems. We need to take that into account. We need to help them, and putting them in jail is not the right solution. At the very least, it should not be the first solution. There should be other solutions that are conducive to protecting society in the long term, in other words, rehabilitation and reintegration.
I think my time is up. I thank you and I ask that you support these amendments.